. >>> tonight, a local university is mourning the loss of a pros fesser. he was killed in a freak accident while walking his dog in the district this morning. police say a driver had a medical emergency, and then ran over rhett leverett near 6th and e northwest. leverett was considered a fixture in the penn quarter neighborhood. jackie bensen with more from the friends and neighbors. >> reporter: beth, a west highland terrier looks around, confused and sad. the man who loved her, who cared for her, is gone. rhett leverett was an old-fashioned southern gentleman, a well-known and beloved figure in this penn quarter neighborhood where he and beth took a stroll several times a day. that's what they were doing about 9:30 this morning when something awful happened. without warning a car jumped the curb, went up onto the sidewalk in the 500 block of 6th street northwest and struck leverett. police say the driver had some type of medical emergency. it's not clear whether it was a seizure or heart attack. lou who runs the hot dog stand on the corner ran to help. >